Ether is Bitcoin 2.0 and like Bitcoin, it will have many ups and downs within the first few years. DAO needs some work but has many benifits that other cryptocurrencies can't provide. Buying into ETH/DAO now..... or when it hits another low and begins to improve, will be like buying into Bitcoin in 2009. In a few years you will be a millionaire. Don't miss the train cos it sure as hell won't wait for you!
But..... only spend what you can afford and don't day train this currency. This is a buyin....sit....wait currency. Just like the shares market, dont bailout just cos it drops....ride it out and reap the rewards.
ALSO
A soft fork or a hard folk wont matter in the long run. Sure it will greatly effect the price in the short term, this is a business. Businesses make mistakes! They all do! But they learn from them and endeavor to make the business stronger buy learning from their errors. Ether is too big to fail because its premise hold endless opportunities and benifits. Understand the business and you will understand the product! Understand the product and you too will invest with knowledge, not forum gossip.